Loica
((Note, I'll be formatting this better in a bit.)) The Loica People (pronounced Low EE kah) were a tribe of aquatic elves living in the Swamp. While no one knows where they came from before that, or when they arrived, the Loica maintained that they were originally the sole humanoid inhabitants of the Swamp, and others were outsiders, or “Ulundo” (oo-LOON-doe). While the Loica did not bear outsiders any ill will, they were often loathe to share their technology, and expected others to earn their place in the Swamp. ' ' The most notable thing about the Loica village was that, while the elves themselves were amphibious, their homes were elevated in the trees. Other tribes often referred to the Loica as “tree-speakers” due to their seemingly magical ability to cause the trees to bend and twist in specific ways to suit their needs. While growing tree homes takes a long time to the shorter lived races, (10-20 years) to an elf that’s not long at all. Their villages, and what remains of them, were easily identified by the living bridges, that spanned the spaces between their homes. It was often rumored that a child of the Loica would not set foot on the ground until they were nearly 25 years old. This bears out in the fact that infant Loica were rarely, if ever, seen by outsiders. ' ' The Loica followed an animist religion, believing that the trees, animals, and even the swamp itself had a spirit that must be appeased. Most animals also had a great totem spirit who would speak for all their kind. Often the village would have an elder who had a great devotion to a particular animal spirit, a relationship that went back literal centuries. Said elder would negotiate with the spirit for assistance, and make whatever obeisances and sacrifices the creature would demand, on behalf of the village. When that elder reached the end of their life, they would introduce one of their descendants to the spirit, who would become the next representative of the village to that spirit. (An example being Inali’s (in-ALL-ee) family. Her grandfather was the Elder Devotee of Lingwe’Locci (lin-GWEH-LOW-chee), the Snake Spirit. He introduced Inali to him just after she came of age.) ' ' As part of their practices, the Loica also ritually tattooed themselves. The person wishing to receive one of these mystical and holy tattoos would bring the tattooist a sacrifice, as they believed that by having the ashes of their sacrificed tattooed into their skin they would gain its power. The tattooist would then burn the sacrifice (alive if possible, but freshly dead is acceptable), and collect the ashes, which would then be ground with a mortar and pestle for an amount of time determined by the power of the sacrifice. Once the grinding was complete, the tattooist would mix the ashes with pure ritual water, and tattoo the recipient with a bone needle. This process was exceedingly painful, and would take days upon days of work. Loica culture held that showing weakness during the tattooing process meant that you were unworthy to receive the strength of the sacrificed creature or item. It was not uncommon for parents to bring a small sacrifice so their child could receive their first tattoo. Generally larger tattoos were only sought out by the village’s fiercest warriors. That being said, they also tattooed non-magical tattoos as a way of denoting life events. Coming of age, marriage, the birth of children, the birth of grandchildren, victories, defeats, all had commemorative tattoos that the Loica were happy to decorate their bodies with. ' ' The death of the Loica people came in a form common to the swamp: disease. Members of the village who had been out hunting came home, and began vomitting profusely. They soon died, and their bodies were burned, and tattooed onto other warriors, as was Loica custom, to keep the strength within the village. Soon those tattooed warriors took ill and died. Slowly this spread through the village, the only family that managed to resist it being Inali’s family, due to the resistance to poison Lingwe’Locci had blessed them with. As the last of the villagers lay dying, Inali’s grandfather, Yara (YA-rah), ordered his family to leave the village, taking only what they could carry. ' ' The Loica had a method of counting time, though it was not specific, or tied to any celestial event. When the first child of each new generation was born, the Elders of the village would convene and select a plant of the Swamp to denote that generation. Members of that generation would often be refered to as “of the (Plant).” Inali is of the “Iris” generation, as is her younger brother, Adjo. Her mother, Siyanda, is of the “Quil-Quil” (a type of swamp fern) generation. Her grandfather, Yara, is of the “Saltbrush” generation. When it came time to tell a story, the story begins with “When the (Plant) (part of the plants observable life cycle)...” This represented the point in a certain generations life, and usually the main character of the story’s generation was the one used, so that the listener would also have an idea of the age of the hero. Some examples of this system include, “When the Lilies blossomed” implying that the Lily generation was young, and “When the Mangroves Stood Tall,” when the Mangrove generation was adults, and “When the Aster withered”, meaning when the Aster generation was Elder. Please note that one of these time periods can be anywhere from 3-10 centuries, depending on what point in that generation’s life cycle it is. The young time period is usually short, so spans at most 500 years, while the adult and elder periods can span up to 1000 years. And they overlap quite often. ' ' There are currently four surviving Loica who have joined the Last Sons. They are: ' ' Yara of the Saltbrush: Yara is a devotee of Lingwe’Locci, though he has lived an extremely long life by Loica standards, thanks to Lingwe’Locci gifting he and his family with a resistance to poisons and diseases. Often gruff with the Ulundo, Yara is still upset over the death of the village, and the fact that his grandchildren have no suitable marriage prospects among the Last Sons. He taught Inali how to pay obeisance to Lingwe’Locci, and is teaching her how to speak to the Trees. ' ' Siyanda of the Quil-Quil: Siyanda is Yara’s only daughter, and only living child. She learned the art of Ritual Tattoos, and often creates these tattoos for members of the Last Sons village. She insists that villagers who wish her tattoos must follow all Loica customs when receiving one, including bringing a gift for the Tattooist, and a sacrifice appropriate to the power they want. She is a bit less gruff than her father, accepting that this is what has happened to her tribe, and that her children must make the best of it. ' ' Adjo of the Iris: Adjo is Inali’s younger brother, and Siyanda’s son. He is still a child by Loica standards, barely 40 years old. As he has not yet come of age, Loica tradition holds he cannot be taught their mystical arts yet. His grandfather and mother intend to teach him these when he reaches adulthood, approximately 75 years old. Adjo is much like young boys in any tribe, and would prefer to poke things with sticks and play chasing games with the other children. It has caused some whispering and rumors, however, as Adjo has been playing with the human children for 20 years, watching them grow up and get married, while he himself is still a child. At least the other elven children understand. Inali of the Iris: The player character. She is considered to be a wise woman in training by most of the village.